X-Message-Number: 4486 From: (Brian Wowk) Newsgroups: sci.cryonics Subject: Re: neuropatients&uploaders Date: 7 Jun 1995 23:59:40 GMT Message-ID: <3r5ehc$> References: <> Mr. Leitl, I am sorry to say that you are re-inventing the wheel. Although research still continues, the basic procedures used by Alcor and BioPreservation (CryoCare's contractor) for transporting and perfusing cryonics patients have already been worked out by medical specialists more than ten years ago. For an overview of these very sophisticated procedures, see the document "Cryopreservation Protocol for BioPreservation Clients" in the CryoNet Reference Files of the cryonics archives at http://www.c2.org/~kqb/cryonet.html The most serious problem with your approach is the suggestion that patients be immediately decapitated after cardiac arrest! This is untenable for several reasons. Leaving aside the practical/ethical/ legal problems, the ischemic insult would be too severe. Ischemia *is* an issue (even for uploaders) because several minutes of ischemia can so damage blood vessels that cryoprotective perfusion becomes impossible. In addition, any surgeon will tell you that completely transected blood vessels are very difficult (often impossible) to cannulate. You don't want to remove the brain from the head either, as this subjects the brain to *severe* trauma (take it from someone who has done it). The general approach used in state-of-the-art cryonics today is prompt CPR following cardiac arrest, and the establishment of cardiopulmonary bypass (blood pump oxygenator support) by femoral access. Once on bypass, patients can be cooled much more rapidly by a heat exchanger and blood pump than by any external cooling (rates faster than 1'C per minute are typical). Only once the temperature is low enough for oxygen to no longer be needed is the blood replaced with an organ preservation solution as you suggest. The patient's *whole body* is then shipped to a cryonics facility for cryoprotective perfusion (far too complex to be done in the field). Thoracic surgery is performed to gain access to the aorta. Cryoprotective perfusion (even for neuropatients) is performed through the cannulated aorta, as this is the best way to ensure that the carotids and vertebrals are well-perfused. Cephalic isolation for neuropatients is only performed after cryoproective perfusion is complete. Brian Wowk President, CryoCare Foundation Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=4486